'Becher' Water Tower

With a form based upon the iconic rooftop structures seen throughout America, this tabletop version is for dispensing drinking water. The perfect centerpiece for a dinner party, it is sure to start conversation. Ultimately, the intention is to encourage people to drink more water - one of the simplest, but most effective lifestyle changes that can be made to improve one’s health.

The benefits of storing water in Copper are numerous; this naturally occurring metal has been used in this way for centuries, and is known to have anti-bacterial properties.

The metal struts help to brace the frame, but also guide the glass into place. The spirit level and rubber pads allow the vessel to be perfectly positioned.

Inspired by the architectural photography of Bernd and Hilla Becher, this piece takes their name as tribute.

‘Point’ Sharpener for Möbius & Ruppert

This container, machined from brass hex bar, is for use with the ‘Grenade’ sharpener produced by German company Möbius & Ruppert.

Materials: Brass

'Friction' Task Lamp

Utilising the same component and friction principle as the ‘Nucleus’ clock (DDQ, 2014), this desk lamp can be easily repositioned depending on the nature of the task at hand. The significant weight of the ball is enough to support the delicate halo at any angle.

The sleek, understated form becomes almost invisible on a cluttered desk, or a striking statement on a tidy one – whilst always providing a neutral white light.

'Arc' Banana Stand

Fly Press - 'The Hex Set' Nutcracker

Products in the ‘Fly Press’ range are a demonstration and celebration of the humble screw thread mechanism - this is one of the six simple machines, and is regarded as an understated masterpiece of engineering.

Spherical flyweights drive the large custom bolt downwards with controlled and efficient force; the grip and momentum provides a smooth, gratifying action, opening the most stubborn shells with ease. The satin surface of the bolt and cross bar contrast strongly with the roughness of the forged steel balls.

For the ‘Hex’ edition, the body consists simply of an M42 steel nut, a hefty industrial relic given new purpose. The chemical blackening exhibits the range of machined surfaces, evidence of the original manufacturing processes.

The accompanying bowl and tray, precisely machined from oak and beech, are for the nuts and discarded shells respectively. The bowl nests inside the tray, to be carried and displayed as one. The removable handle, topped with a bronze ball, is held in place by rare-earth magnets concealed within the wood.

Inspired by oriental tea ceremonies to manual tools, optical illusions to cafetières, this set reinstates a calming elegance to the act of cracking a nut open before eating it. Best accompanied with a drink of your choice.

'Butterfly' Lamp

This lamp is based on the ‘Butterfly’ projection by the mathematician Steve Waterman; a map projection is a method for representing the spherical surface of the Earth in a two-dimensional space. Waterman’s relatively recent arrangement has numerous advantages over historic examples; the aim is to show the landmasses and other information as proportionally as possible with minimum disruption.

When reassembled, it takes a ‘truncated octahedron’ form, a geometric abstraction of the globe itself. The angle of the rotational tilt is exaggerated, with the slender filament as the axis. Folded steel sections make up the frame, held together with brass and blackened fasteners. The card of the sections in between, also laser-cut, is an homage to the traditional glued card globes of companies such as Replogle, still mass-produced in the same way today. The lamp as a whole is also a contemporary interpretation of these curious objects, once essential for navigating the newly-explored world.

An ambient lamp intended for table top or sideboard use, the long bulb and cartographic grid cast dramatic shadows out in all directions.

Fly Press - 'Auger' Corkscrew

Products in the ‘Fly Press’ range are a demonstration and celebration of the humble screw thread mechanism. This is one of the six simple machines, and is regarded as an understated masterpiece of engineering.

Spherical flyweights drive the auger downwards with controlled and efficient force; the grip and momentum provides a smooth, gratifying action, and will have your favourite bottle open in no time. As with any manual corkscrew, ensure that it stays straight or ‘true’ throughout to prevent deformation.

Machined from solid steel bar, the auger tapers to a central point, allowing perfect positioning on the cork. Everything is held together by grub screws in the brass body, the satin surface of this and the cross bar contrast strongly with the roughness of the forged steel balls. Stamped on both sides is the DDQ logo. The heavy round base displays the corkscrew with pride; its curious form encouraging examination.

Materials: Brass, mild steel, stainless steel, rubber, cork.

'Nucleus' Clock

The unassuming appearance of this desk clock disguises its considerable weight and simple construction. The pitted ‘Martian-like’ sphere appears to have simply had a smooth slice taken from it, revealing the distinct white hands and markings of this peculiar artefact.

It consists of a solid steel ball and laser-cut face plate, both chemically blackened. Sitting on a chunky O-ring allows it to be positioned at any viewing angle. The battery-powered quartz movement is hidden within, and can be ejected for adjustment from the back.

Mainly intended for use on decorative ironwork, when taken out of context the forged steel ball is given new life. The axially symmetrical recess for containing the clock elements is machined on the metal lathe; a clearly-defined void is established in a previously random object. When combined with precision components and subtly coated, this crude lump of metal is delicately re-appropriated.

Materials: Mild steel, rubber, styrene, quartz movement.

'Champion' Spinning Top

A re-interpretation of the traditional Spinning Top, hand turned from stainless steel and bronze. Despite originally being intended for children, it rekindles an intuitive joy in anyone who recognises its familiar form.

Inspired by the following quote from ‘Danny, the Champion of the World’ by Roald Dahl:

“...before I could walk, the workshop had been my play-room”. ”My toys were the greasy cogs and springs and pistons that lay around all over the place, and these, I can promise you, were far more fun to play with than most of the plastic stuff children are given these days”.

Materials: Stainless steel, bronze

'Magnifying Glass'

A device that facilitates fine craft work on a small scale, such as model making or collecting. Using miniature LEDs for illumination, and made by hand by expert Yorkshire machinists, it is a marriage of modernist design elements with aesthetic nods to the familiar magnifying glass.